Refuse container

ABSTRACT

A refuse container having walls and bottom forming an enclosed container with an open top, and a cover for the top having a rear and two front sections, with the rear section being pivoted to the upper edge of two opposite walls, and the front cover sections being pivoted to the rear cover section. A flange is provided on the front cover section which overlaps the axes between the pivot points of the rear cover section to form an insect restricting and water-repellent joint between the rear section and the two front sections. The two front sections are provided with overlapping flanges on the adjacent edges for forming a joint therebetween, and the container is mounted on casters and includes fixtures for use in lifting the container and dumping the contents into a refuse-collecting truck.

United States Patent 72] inventor Richard J. Gordon Grand Junction, Iowa[21] Appl. No. 16,773 [22] Filed Mar. 5,1970

[45] Patented [73] Assignee Dec. 2 1 1971 Parker Industries, Inc. SilverLakes, Ind.

[54] REFUSE CONTAINER 3,270,902 9/1966 Breault ABSTRACT: A refusecontainer having walls and bottom forming an enclosed container with anopen top, and a cover for the top having a rear and two front sections,with the rear section being pivoted to the upper edge of two oppositewalls, and the front cover sections being pivoted to the rear coversection. A flange is provided on the front cover section which overlapsthe axes between the pivot points of the rear cover section to form aninsect restricting and water-repellent joint between the rear sectionand the two front sections. The two front sections are provided withoverlapping flanges on the adjacent edges for forming a jointtherebetween, and the container is mounted on casters and includesfixtures for use in lifting the container and dumping the contents intoa refusecollecting truck.

PATENTED B562 SHEET 1 OF 3 A TTORNEYS PATENTEnummm $628585 SHEET 2 OF 3R/CHA R0 1 GORDON ATTORNEYS REFUSE CONTAINER Refuse and other wastematerials from commercial establishments such as restaurants, retailstores, hotels and motels, are often collected, stored and carried awayin large steel containers which are so constructed and designed thatthey can be picked up and dumped into a refuse truck by a power-operatedmechanism driven from the truck. While this practice and equipmentpermit the disposal of large amounts of refuse without its beingdirectly handled by the personnel, the containers used in the past havebeen unsatisfactory in some respects, in that they are often notsufficiently tight around the lids or covers to prevent flies and otherinsects from entering and leaving the containers and using thecontainers as breeding places throughout the warmer months of the year.Further, since the containers are relatively large and the lids orcovers heavy in order to give the containers sufficient strength topermit handling by the power driven lift mechanism without beingdamaged, they are difficult to use to collect the refuse and to move andhandle in preparation for the power driven dumping operation. It is,therefore, one of the principal objects of the present invention toprovide a refuse container, primarily for commercial and industrial use,which is sufficiently rugged and sturdy to withstand frequent handlingand dumping by a power driven mechanism and yet is so constructed thatit can be easily used without undue hardship when it is being used tocollect and store the refuse.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fully enclosed refusecontainer having sealed sidewalls and bottom, with a hinged cover whichis constructed in several sections for easy handling, yet which formsinsect-restricting and water-repellent joints between the sections andbetween the cover and the container portion.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an all steelcontainer with easy access covers, which can be easily cleaned andmaintained in a satisfactorily sanitary condition, and which can beconveniently used in various locations in the commercial or industrialestablishment and can be readily adapted to various types of powerdumping mechanisms.

A further object is to provide a refuse container of the aforesaid typewhich is relatively simple in construction and design and can befabricated without the use of any expensive tools and dies or othermetal forming equipment, and which can be compactly and economicallytransported from the fabricating plant to the place where it is to beused.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description and accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. I is a perspective view of the present refuse container;

FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the container shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the container, showing the container inclosed condition;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view ofa portion of the containershown in the preceding FIGS., the section being taken on line 4-4 ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the container shown inthe preceding figures, and also showing the manner in which the frontcover sections operate, the section being taken on line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to the view shown in FIG. 5 showing the rearcover section in its open position; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of the hingeportion between the container and the cover sections, the section beingtaken on line 7-7 of FIG. 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, numeral 10 designatesgenerally the present refuse container having a body portion 12 and acover 14 pivotally secured to the upper edge of the body. The containeris mounted on a plurality of casters 16 secured to frame members 18 and20 attached to the lower part of the body. The body consists ofinclinedfront and rear walls 22 and 24 and end walls 26 and 28 and a bottomattached to the lower edges of the four walls by welding or othersuitable securing means to form watertight joints between the bottom andthe respective sides. The four walls and bottom are constructed of steelplate or heavy sheet metal such that they are selfsupporting and requirelittle reinforcing frame work incorporated in the body, and are joinedtogether, preferably by welding, to form effective waterproofjoints. Theupper edges of the two end walls are provided with reinforcing members30 and 32 of a generally rectangular cross section welded to the upperedge of the plates forming the two end walls. The front wall isreinforced by a bar 34 welded to the upper edge of the panel forming thefront wall, and the rear wall is reinforced by an offset flange 36'forming a stiffening rib for the upper edge.

The cover 14 consists of two front sections 40 and 42 and a rear section44, the three cover sections being formed of steel plate and preferablyreinforced at the edges by flanges 46 on the two front sections andflange 48 on the rear section. The rear section 44 is pivoted on theupper edge of the body by plates 50 and 52 secured to the opposite edgesof the rear cover section by lugs 53 and 54 secured to the upper edge ofthe respective end panels 26 and 28 and pivot bolts 56 and 58 extendingthrough the respective lugs 53 and 54 and plates 50 and 52. In order toretain the inner edge of section 44 rigidly on substantially the sameplane, the inner edge is reinforced by an inverted L-shaped flange 60extending the full length of the rear section 44, and by an angularlyshaped longitudinal member 62 also extending substantially the fulllength of the section and being welded thereto at the two edges 64 and66. The inverted L-shaped reinforcing member 60 also performs anadditional function of assisting in forming an effective seal andwater-repellent joint between the front sections 40 and 42 and the rearsection 44.

The front sections 40 and 42 are pivoted to the rear section by anL-shaped flange 70 extending the full length of the rear edge of eachsection and by tubular member 72 pivotally sup ported at one end by astud or bolt 74 extending through plate 76 and at the other end by astud 78 supported by a lug 80 and a plate 82. Since the hinge mechanismfor plate 42 is essentially the same as the hinge mechanism of section40, the former will not be described in detail but will be given thesame numerals plus a prime to identify like parts. Plates 76 and 76' aresecured to the side of rear cover section 44 and plate 82 is secured tothe upper surface at the rear of section 44 at the center thereof. Bolts74 and 74 are threaded into the end of the tubes 72 and 72' and pivot inholes in plates 76 and 76 between head 84 and nut 86. When the frontsections 40 and 42 are moved to closed position while the rear section44 is in closed position, the undersurface of L-shaped flange 70 seatson or is in close proximity to L-shaped flange 60 to form an effectiveseal along the rear edge between the front sections and the rearsection.

In order to seal the joint between the two sections 40 and 42, aninverted L-shaped upstanding flange is formed on the inner transverseedge of section 40, and an inverted L- shaped flange 92 is formed on theinner transverse edge of section 42. The latter flange overlaps flange90 and preferably firmly engages the upper surface of flange 90. Thisconstruction not only forms an effective insect-restricting andwaterrepellent joint between the two sections 40 and 42, but permitsboth sections to be raised by raising section 40. Handles 93 and 94joined to the outside transverse edge of sections 40 and 42,respectively, are provided to assist in the raising and lowering of thetwo sections. Handles 95 and 96 rigidlyjoined to the upper edge of sides26 and 28, respectively, are preferably provided to assist inmaneuvering the container on its casters I6 to and from the refusetruck.

As mentioned previously herein, the present refuse container is intendedfor use with a power lifting mechanism operated by a refuse pickuptruck. The body contains fixtures 97 and 98 secured to the front andupper edges thereof on op posite sides, and a fixture 100 secured to theupper front corner on opposite sides, to which the: lift mechanism maybe attached to raise, dump, and lower the container after cover sections40 and 42 have been fully opened. When the sections are open and arelying on rear section 44, a hook or other fastener connected to the rearside of the body is attached to section 40 to retain the sections intheir open position while the container is being dumped.

in the use and operation of the present refuse container, it is normallyplaced in a convenient location in a commercial or industrialestablishment for the collection of refuse, and the cover consisting ofsections 40, 42, and 44 is normally left in closed position. When refuseis to be dumped into the container, section 44 is or sections 40 and 42are opened, and the refuse is dumped in the container. When the sectionsare fully closed as viewed in FIG. 5, the L-shaped flange 70 seats on orin close proximity to the upper edge of L-shaped section 60, thusforming a substantially closed joint throughout the length of the rearedge of the three sections, providing an insectrestricting andwater-repellent seal. Both the two front cover sections 40 and 42 can beopened fully onto the surface of section 44 and, likewise, section 44can be opened fully onto the two front sections when the container isbeing filled with refuse. When the container is to be dumped, the powermechanism of a refuse truck is connected to fixtures 97, 98, and 100,and after lid sections 40 and 42 have been opened by pivoting themrearwardly onto the upper surface of section 44 and latched by asuitable hook or tying means, the container is lifted by the powermechanism and dumped and returned to its original position. Coversections 40 and 42 are then closed again and the container is ready forrefilling.

While only one embodiment of the present refuse container has beendescribed in detail herein, various changes and modifications may bemade without departing from the scope of the invention.

lclaim:

l. A refuse container comprising a body having front, rear and twosidewalls and a bottom forming an open top compartment for receiving andretaining refuse, a cover for said compartment including a rear coversection, pivot means at each end of the inner edge of said sectionconnected at opposite ends to said sidewalls and having common axes, twofront cover sections disposed in side-by-side relation, means separatelypivoting said front cover sections to the inner edge of said rear coversection, and flange means on each of said front cover sections extendingrearwardly beyond said common axes when said sections are closed to forman insectrestricting and water-repellent joint between the rear coverand the two front covers.

2. A refuse container as defined in claim 1 in which the adjacent edgesof said front cover sections are provided with inverted L-shapedoverlapping flanges for forming a joint between said sections.

3. A refuse container as defined in claim I in which the inner edge ofsaid rear cover section is provided with an upwardly extending invertedL-shaped flange for forming a joint between the flange means on each ofsaid front cover sections.

4. A refuse container as defined in claim 3 in which said flange meanson said front cover sections are horizontally positioned L-shapedmembers extending upwardly above the common axes of said first-mentionedpivot means.

5. A refuse container as defined in claims 3 or 4 in which two invertedoverlapping L-shaped flanges are provided on the adjacent edges of saidtwo front sections for forming a joint therebetween.

6. A refuse container as defined in claim 1 in which the pivot means foreach of said front cover sections includes a tubular member, a studmeans extending into said tubular member at each end, and a meanssupporting each of said stud means on said rear section.

7. A refuse container as defined in claims 4 or 5 in which the pivotmeans for each of said front cover sections includes a tubular member, astud means extending into said tubular member at each end, and a meanssupporting each of said stud means on said rear section.

8. A refuse container as defined in claim 1 in which said front and rearwalls slope inwardly and downwardly from top to bottom and fixtures areprovided on said body for use in liftmg the contamer to dump thecontents thereof into a refuse truck.

9. A refuse container as defined in claim 2 in which handles areprovided on the outside edge of each of said front sections for liftingsaid sections.

1. A refuse container comprising a body having front, rear and twosidewalls and a bottom forming an open top compartment for receiving andretaining refuse, a cover for said compartment including a rear coversection, pivot means at each end of the inner edge of said sectionconnected at opposite ends to said sidewalls and hAving common axes, twofront cover sections disposed in side-by-side relation, means separatelypivoting said front cover sections to the inner edge of said rear coversection, and flange means on each of said front cover sections extendingrearwardly beyond said common axes when said sections are closed to forman insect-restricting and water-repellent joint between the rear coverand the two front covers.
 2. A refuse container as defined in claim 1 inwhich the adjacent edges of said front cover sections are provided withinverted L-shaped overlapping flanges for forming a joint between saidsections.
 3. A refuse container as defined in claim 1 in which the inneredge of said rear cover section is provided with an upwardly extendinginverted L-shaped flange for forming a joint between the flange means oneach of said front cover sections.
 4. A refuse container as defined inclaim 3 in which said flange means on said front cover sections arehorizontally positioned L-shaped members extending upwardly above thecommon axes of said first-mentioned pivot means.
 5. A refuse containeras defined in claims 3 or 4 in which two inverted overlapping L-shapedflanges are provided on the adjacent edges of said two front sectionsfor forming a joint therebetween.
 6. A refuse container as defined inclaim 1 in which the pivot means for each of said front cover sectionsincludes a tubular member, a stud means extending into said tubularmember at each end, and a means supporting each of said stud means onsaid rear section.
 7. A refuse container as defined in claims 4 or 5 inwhich the pivot means for each of said front cover sections includes atubular member, a stud means extending into said tubular member at eachend, and a means supporting each of said stud means on said rearsection.
 8. A refuse container as defined in claim 1 in which said frontand rear walls slope inwardly and downwardly from top to bottom andfixtures are provided on said body for use in lifting the container todump the contents thereof into a refuse truck.
 9. A refuse container asdefined in claim 2 in which handles are provided on the outside edge ofeach of said front sections for lifting said sections.